Toward a New Era
by misaochan719
Summary: Takes place at the end of the manga, Kenshin&Kaoru, this is my firt serious fanfic, so please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: Do You Remember?

w00t! my first serious fanfic. I hope it turns out all right. For those of you who are about to read, this is based off the MANGA, because it is sooo much better than the anime, (mutter, grrr, stupid people didn't animated the jinchu arc, grr)

**Disclaimer:** no, I do not own Ruroken, If I did, I would be a very happy Misao, but foe now, bows down to watsuki-sensei "I'm not worthy to write a fanfic about your masterpiece"

Kaoru's eyes flickered open. She was drowsy and her head felt heavy. She struggled to rock up and sit up straight on her futon. She wiped the sleep eye out of her eyes and scratched her head.

As soon as she was fully awake, she started to think. It had been about 2 months since everyone had said their goodbyes. Megumi-san had gone back to Aizu. Misao-chan and Aoshi-san had left to re-bury the dead oniwabanshu and then head back to Kyoto. Even Sanosuke had become an outlaw and left Japan to go who knows where. Yahiko still came for lessons every few days, but he had moved out a few weeks ago. He was living in Sanosuke's old long house, though he spent most of his time either working at the Akabeko or training at the dojo.

The dojo felt incredibly empty… well, almost. The smell of breakfast floated under Kaoru's nose. Kenshin was still here. She smiled when she remembered what he had said the night by the docks.

_"They will eventually start walking their own paths, living their own lives. It is not parting, but embarking on a journey. It is not the end, but a beginning. It will be lonely, but that is how it is," Kenshin explained. _

_Kaoru stopped in her tracks and both were silent for a moment. "But…" she protested, "I want to stay with you forever."_

_Kenshin froze stiff and slowly turned his head to face her in shock. Kaoru moved toward him slowly, her heart pounding with every step she took. "This one… " said Kenshin, "I…"_

_She cut him off, as flustered as she could possibly be. "I'm sorry!" she stated, "It was nothing! Forget it!" She took off, speed walking right past Kenshin; with her face red with embarrassment. "Now is the time to put effort into getting through the battle tomorrow." She stammered, "L-Let's go home, everyone will be worried…" _

_He stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder. "Do you remember?" Kenshin asked. "When returning to Tokyo from the battle in Kyoto, this one said, 'It's good to be home.' That is the first time those words have been said since becoming a rurouni…"_

_Kaoru smiled gently. "Is that right?"_

_Kenshin walked her home with his arm around her. "Yes… It is…"_

Kaoru sighed as she contemplated the possibilities of what could have happened. She was so embarrassed because of the bluntness of her statement that she had screwed up a possibly romantic moment. "He said 'I'" she though to herself. Even still, Kenshin _had_ declared the dojo his home.

Kaoru got out of bed to fold up her futon and put in away. She got out a comb and a ribbon. Her ebony hair was much knotted, so Kaoru had to comb it out before pulling it back in a ponytail.

Kenshin was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. It was an easy fix and didn't take as long as it used to. Yahiko had started eating more at the Akabeko recently. Though Yahiko said it was because he wanted to stop mooching off Kaoru like a certain rooster head used to, and be able to fend for himself, Kenshin knew otherwise. It was common knowledge that he had a crush on a certain quiet waitress. The rurouni finished up the meal for two and set out the dishes.

"Good morning Kaoru-dono," he said cheerfully as a still sleepy tanuki walked in the room.

"Oh, good morning Kenshin," she responded. "It smells good in here. Is breakfast ready?"

"Yes, this one just finished cooking."

They both sat down to eat, mostly quiet throughout the meal. Both admitted silently to themselves that it felt strange to have a peaceful meal. Though, that's not to say that they didn't enjoy it. Yahiko wasn't there calling Kaoru 'buso (ugly)' or chewing on Sano's head. It was just the two of them.

When Kenshin finished his meal, he stood up to gather the bowls. "This one is going to do the dishes de gozaru."

Kenshin, I don't have to give lessons today. Let me do the dishes."

"But Kaoru-dono is the master of the dojo. This one is but a freeloader."

"You have enough chores as it is. Let me help out a bit. I don't mind." Kaoru stood up and took all the dishes from Kenshin's arms, rather violently I might add. "Sheesh kenshin, you need to learn to let people help you every once and a while."

Kenshin stood dumbfoundly confused with his arms still in the holding position as Kaoru walked past him into the other room. "Oro?" He stood there clueless for a few seconds and then drifted off to do the laundry.

He stepped outside just in time to be caught in a gust of wind. Kenshin shivered and pulled his hands inside the sleeves of his haori. Autumn was ending and fall was on its way. He walked over to the laundry and turned his head back toward the kitchen. "Come to think of it, it's been almost a year now since this one met Kaoru…" Kaoru. He had caught himself calling her Kaoru. He wasn't sure when it began; when he discovered that he loved her. He guessed it was before he left for Kyoto, though he would never admit it. Saying sayonara to her on that spring night was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. When he heard her crying and call out his name, he wanted so bad to turn around. He wanted to comfort her, but he wouldn't allow himself. He had to leave her there, for her own safety. Kenshin couldn't allow her to get involved with Shishio. He couldn't help it when a single tear rolled down his cheek as he disappeared into the night of May 14th.

He was surprised by himself that he called her Kaoru. Kenshin was afraid. Tomoe had died. He failed to protect her. He wouldn't be able to bear it if the same thing happened to Kaoru. When he had seen the karakuri (puppet) of her, he had died inside. He just kept seeing that haunting image over and over again in his mind. A dead Kaoru, pinned to the dojo wall, a cross shaped scar on her cheek. He had fallen on his knees, overwhelmed by despair. He closed his eyes tightly in a futile attempt to stop a flow of tears. "Kaoru… dono… KAORU."

He later found out that she was alive, he felt so happy that he couldn't contain it. He was alive again. But now, now he was afraid. What if she really died? What if he couldn't protect her, the one he loved most? He couldn't allow himself to get to close to her. He called her Kaoru-dono out of respect at first, but now it served as a reminder to himself. He couldn't let her know how he felt. There was no way she could ever return his feelings. She deserved better than him.

Kenshin pulled himself from his thoughts. He best get the laundry done. He squatted down and merrily began his work. He found joy in doing chores. It helped him feel like he was useful. Kenshin hummed to himself as he washed a pair of tabi (socks). He paused for a brief moment to turn around and look at the dojo before going back to work.

"Kaoru…"

well, what do you think, not bad for a first chapter, (I hope)

**please please please review!**

or I shall smite you with my onmitsu skills


	2. Chapter 2: Shopping for the Heavy Things

**Yay! I'm back! I'm really busy this summer, so I'll try to work on this story whenever I can. Though, considering that I'm a very slow typer, it may take a while. (lol)**

**Much thanks to all the people who reviewed! I feel special now, yay points finger at English teacher "haha! People do like my writing! Take that!"**

**RougeShadow, thanks for the advice, if I come up with any more terms, I'll try putting them all at the beginning.**

**Kenjutsu- swordmanship**

**Jo-chan : missie**

**Tanuki- raccoon dog**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouken, no suing please**

It wouldn't take Kaoru too long to do the dishes. There was just the two of them. She could wash dishes just fine. Now if only she could cook. Her mom had died when she was still small, so she never had anyone teach her. I mean really, if you didn't have any idea how to cook, who wouldn't expect you to burn the house down. She had other priorities too. She was an only child, so her father had her practice kenjutsu in the place of a son. Now how many little boys are taught how to cook? Okay, Kenshin doesn't count, but still, Kaoru never had any time to learn how.

"You now," she thought, "I have more spare time now than I used to. Maybe now's the time to learn how to cook. Heh heh, that'll give Sano a slap in the face next time he visits." Kaoru made a pathetic attempt to imitate a Sano voice. "Oh, Jo-chan, I'm so sorry I ever made fun of your cooking. I'm hungry. Please feed me. I'll even pay for it." Kaoru chuckled while imagining her fantasy, which would never be real I might add: not in a million years. "Hmmm," she returned to reality," Maybe I can ask Tae-san to teach me. She runs the Akabeko, so she'd be a good teacher. Maybe Kenshin won't have to pretend to like a meal for once. He always forces himself to eat my cooking, no matter how bad it tastes. He just smiles that sad smile. I want to help bring out his real smile, one he doesn't have to fake…. Wow, I'm off topic… Ahh, I still have to put away these dishes. I daydream too often." Kaoru some hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. She piled up the clean dishes and took them to the cabinet.

Kenshin completed his task of hanging up the laundry to dry. He walked back inside to find Kaoru searching through a trunk. "Oro? What's going on in here?"

"Oh, Kenshin. I was looking for a shawl. I was planning on going shopping. Would you like to come with me?"

"This one would love to help." With that Kenshin returned outside and went to wait by the gate. A few minutes later, Kaoru came out with a shawl around her shoulders, a money purse in one hand, and a scarf in the other. She quickly trotted over to him and placed the contents of her hand in his face. "Oro? What's this?"

"It's a scarf. Take it."

"But this one isn't co-"

Kaoru cut him off by shoving it even closer. "Take. It. Now." she commanded.

"Yes ma'am!" a very frightened rurouni spoke.

"Don't lie to me. I see those goosebumps on your arm. This is for you. You need to wear it."

They both walked into town together, and stopped once they reached their destination. Kaoru pulled out a list from her obi. "We need miso, salt, soy sauce…" she drifted off, mumbling the rest of the list to herself. Kenshin wondered to himself why they had to get all the heavy things at once. He was always the one who ended up having to carry them.

"So this one needs to get-"

"Actually, you only need to get the miso and salt. I'll get the soy sauce. Met me back here when you're done. Alright?"

Our rurouni drifted off into the crowd, though he didn't exactly blend in, considering his red hair. He himself questioning why Kaoru had taken the responsibility of buying the soy sauce. He would actually have preferred to follow her around and carry all of her purchases, though his hurting spine was grateful for the act of kindness.

It didn't take too long to find the two items, though he did have to buy salt twice. A rather elderly cop had spotted him with a sword and chased after him. Kenshin went into a fit of 'oro's' and ducked behind a crate to hide, dropping the salt in the process. After buying some more and eventually finding the miso, he started wandering back to meet up with Kaoru.

Before he found her, he passed by a soba stand. This triggered yet another flashback. This one happened to be the same one Kaoru had experienced that morning.

They had passed a soba stand that night by the docks. When he heard her say those words: 'But… I want to stay with you forever,' his heart had skipped a beat. Kenshin couldn't believe his own ears. Maybe, just maybe. Was it possible that she returned his feelings? What Kenshin thought would never happen now seemed very possible, and he was happy because of it. "She might love me back," he thought.

"This one… I..." he desperately tore through his mind, searching for the right words to say.

Kenshin actually found it funny when Kaoru ended up turning red and changed the subject, considering that he was about ready to do the same thing himself. He had been a few seconds away from going into an embarrassed frenzy of 'oro's.'

As if a great weight of nervous stress had been lifted, he found something to say. It wasn't exactly what he had hoped for, but he thought he got the message across, hopefully.

"This one said, 'it's good to be home.' That is the first time those words have been said since becoming a rurouni." That was rurouni code for- 'I love you, I'm not going to wander off without you… and now that I'm a permanent resident, why don't we get married." Okay, maybe not that last part, though that's not to say the thought hadn't passed through Kenshin's mind once or twice. Kenshin just hoped that he got some sort of compassionate message across to Kaoru, so as not to _completely_ ruin a possibly romantic situation.

The loud shrill of a whistle broke Kenshin's train of thought. "Oro?" He turned around just in time to face the return of the angry, senile officer.

"I've got you now young man! How dare you violate the sword banning act! And right in front of my face too!

"Ororo!" Which translates to, 'No! I don't want to have to buy more salt!' It also meant, 'What? Young man? This one is 28.' He scampered away before the old man managed to cuff him. The cop followed in pursuit, only to run into a fish stall, head first I might add (someone needs glasses), and give himself a concussion.

"Ahh!" Kaoru jumped in the air out of fright, watching the fish stand collapse in front of her. "What was that!" She glanced up in time to see a certain rurouni scramble around the corner and down an alley. "Kenshin!" Kaoru leaped over the fallen cart and ran to catch up.

'Thud.'

"Oro?" Kenshin slowly moved his eyes up to see what rather large person he had ran into. He hoped it wasn't another sumo.

"Ahhhhhhh! It's the Battosai!" It was two, very pitifully scared, Hiruma brothers.

"Have mercy on an old man!" screeched Kihei.

Both brothers got down on their knees and bowed down in front of Kenshin, chanting, "Spare us! Spare us!"

"Ah, Kenshin, there you are." Kaoru walked up behind him. "Uhhhh, what's going on here?"

A very confused and wide eyed Kenshin just stood there. "Oro?"

"Ahh! It's Kihei and Gohei! What are you doing here?" Kaoru yelled. The last time she had seen them, they tried to kill her, take the dojo, and hired Zanza to kill Kenshin. She shot out a threat. "Kenshin defeated you once, he can do it again!"

Gohei's eyes welled up with tears. "We're sorry! Please, don't hurt us!"

"Ooookaaaaay…" Kaoru was just as confused as Kenshin now. "This is weird."

"Here! We'll carry your stuff!" The two brothers grabbed the purchases from the tanuki and rurouni and skipped off toward the Kamiya dojo at full speed.

Kenshin was still in oro-mode. "Oro? What just happened?"

Kaoru answered. "I'm not entirely sure."

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Okay, what do you think of the second chapter? I hope it was good (notice that I use the word _hope_)

I felt like lightening up the story a bit with the Hiruma brothers. They have a purpose later… hopefully… maybe not…

As for a preview of the next chapter- Kenshin gets sneaky (mwahaha) and they go to the Akabeko

I will update as soon as I can

For the 94 of you who read this and didn't review….. grrr….

Much thanks to the 5 who did review. I really appreciate it.

Please! Read **and **review!

Reviews make Misao-chan happy!


	3. Chapter 3: Sneaky Sneaky

**yay, i finally posted ch 3, sorry for the wait, my dad reformatted the computer, and i lost microsoft word! i wasn't sure how to write this ch, but i like the way it turned out. thank you so much to all who reviewed**

**disclaimer:i only own this story, not the character's, they belong to watsuki**

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"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about carrying the shopping home now. That was strange."

"Oro, this one has an idea. We are in the Asakusa district. Let's go to the Akabeko for dinner. My treat de gozaru."

"Huh?" though Kaoru, "Since when did Kenshin have money?"

"Umm... Okay..." she said.

They entered the Akabeko during the dinner rush, but quiet little Tsubame spotted them and led them to a back room. There was a little private booth there that was used for big spendors or friends of the Sekihara family. Kenshin and Kaoru were the latter, so they sat down.

"This one is going to go see if Yahiko is here." Kenshin got up from the table almost immediatly after sitting down. He shuffled back into the kitchen.

"Oh... Alright." Kaoru sighed with an outstretched hand toward him. She would have really preferred to eat dinner alone with Kenshin. She didn't want to eat with Yahiko there.

Kenshin peeked around the corner into the kitchen. He put a flat hand above his eyes to search around, saying "oro" with each movement his head made. "Ahh." He spotted his target. "Psst. Tae-dono."

"Oh, Kenshin-san! How are you?" she asked with her usual cheerfulness.

"This one has a favor to ask."

"Oh, is that so?" Tae suddenly seemed extremely interested. She was very kind, but could also be very nosy. One of her favorite topics was the relationship between Kaoru and Kenshin. The Kansai girl couldn't help but let a scheming grin cross her face as she listened to the rurouni's plan.

"This one wanted to make a special dinner for Kaoru-dono, but you are a better cook than this one de gozaru."

"Say no more, I understand."

"Ah, domo."

Kenshin walked out the door, spotting a certain not-so-sober boy slumped in the corner. He decided to just let Yahiko lie. Kenshin had never planned to check on him anyway. That was just an excuse to sneak away and talk to Tae. Sneaky sneaky little rurouni, sneaky sneaky.

Kenshin found his way back to the table, where Kaoru seemed to be waiting quite anxiously. "Where's Yahiko?" she asked curiously.

"Passed out on the floor. This one just wanted to see if he was flirting with Tsubame-chan," said Kenshin with a rather amused look on his face. After getting out his laugh, his attention turned back toward Kaoru. She was wearing a lavender kimono with silver flowers on it and a navy blue obi. "That kimono looks lovely on you Kaoru-dono."

"Oh, arigato," she replied with a blush. She had felt like dressing up that morning. She had the time to do it and desperately wanted to impress a certain someone, so you can imagine how pleasd she was with Kenshin's comment.

"Kenshin had actually noticed her outfit that morning, as soon as she walked into the room, as a matter of fact. However, our rurouni doesn't have much of a spine, does he? He never found the guts to tell her then.

Now however, his attention was actually more focused on Kaoru and how beautiful she was, and not so much what she was wearing. If he hadn't caught himself and regained his rurouni composure, Kaoru migh have found herself looking across the dinner table to see a very dreamy eyed Kenshin gazing at her.

"I wonder where Tae is?"

"Oro," Kenshin stated quickly, "this one saw her in the kitchen and went ahead and ordered."

"Oh, I guess that works. I wonder what's taking her so long though?"

Tae was taking her time to prepare the perfect meal, and Kenshin was well aware of that. He didn't want his cover to be blown, well, not quite yet anyways. "Stall!" his mind screamed at him. "Oro, maybe Tae-dono is busy with other customers. She might be short handed staff-wise with Yahiko incapacitated."

"That is true, but he couldn't have been much help to start with. Most of the dinner rush seems to have cleared out too. I'm going to check and see if she needs help!"

Kaoru never managed to get up from the table. Kenshin pulled her ponytail to stop her, as he often does. "We should just wait here de gozaru."

"Alright," she said, rubbing the back of her sore head, "if you say so."

It wasn't too long before the food came. The meal was very delicious, though that actually wasn't most of Kaoru's mind was centerd. She couldn't help but feel like Kenshin was looking at her differently. Kenshin had always had a way of hiding his true feelings. You could never quite tell what he was thinking about- until now. The more Kaoru looked at him, the more she thought she could see his thoughts. It was somehow different from before. He was smiling, but it wasn't the same sad smile he always wore. His eyes seemed brighter and joyful. What's more, his eyes were looking straight at her.

Kaoru felt some hope rise inside of her. Was it possible that Kenshin loved her back. Her face felt warm as a blush spread across it.

Before she realized how much time had past, Kaoru noticed that she and Kenshin were about finished up with the meal. They both stood up and thanked Tae for the meal. The business woman thanked them back, giving a very funny grin to the rurouni. Kenshin handed Kaoru her shaw and they walked to the door.

The sun had already set, and the temperature had dropped a lot. The wind had picked up too. It wouldn't have been surprising if someone had seen snow. The hair on Kaoru's arm stood up almost immediately after they stepped out the door. Kenshin took quick notice of it and removed his own scarf to give to Kaoru, and when I say 'give,' I mean he wrapped it around her shoulders himself and then just kind of left his hand there on her shoulder.

They continued their walk home together like that. Kaoru stood on Kenshin's left. His left hand rested on her left shoulder and his right hand reached across in front of himself to grasp her right hand.

Kenshin's nose and cheeks turned red, due to both the cold and his great embarassment. He had a hard time believing what he had just done. He never thought he would have the guts to do it. Kenshin had made a promise to himself back at the Akabeko. While gazing at Kaoru, he decided that he was going to reveal his feelings for her. Somehow, someway, he just didn't know the 'how' or the 'way' quite yet. He figured he would take it one step at a time. This one happened to be a rather large step for him.

Despite his red face, Kenshin was actually enjoying this. He was holding Kaoru's hand and had his arm around her. He had done both before, though on very rare moments, but never both at once. He couldn't believe his luck when the Hiruma brothers had showed up. He was extremely confused at first, but after they left and his mind cleared up a bit, he started thinking. "If they took the things back, that means I don't have to. And that means that I have my hands free to. perhaps, hold Kaoru's hand on the walk back to the dojo." And yes- he called her just 'Kaoru' in his mind, yet again.

Well, let's not think that Kaoru didn't take notice when Kenshin's hand never left her. She was very happy when she felt his fingers intertwine with her own. She was about to state the obvious, but then decided against it. Kaoru didn't want to spoil the moment. She wanted to keep holding his hand for as long as possible. This was something right out of one of her fantasies. I mean really, we are talking about the girl who even dreamt about Kenshin when she was passes out drunk at Sano and Katsu's party. Kaoru had regular dreams about him, and was overwhelmed that they were starting to come true.

The blissful couple finished their walk home under the stars, their heads leaning on each other.

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**well, what do u think, they are finally starting to act like a couple (yay-ness) i'm going to the beach soon, so i'll work on ch 4 while im away. **

**please! read and review**


	4. Chapter 4: Step by Step

**Yay! Chapter 4, I swear, this story gets more and more fun to write as it progresses. I didn't think I'd get this chapter out till after I got back from the beach, but I've been working on it a lot, so-**

**Part of this chapter is a songfic. Why you ask- because I like song fics, that's why**

**Yay, more warm fuzzies this chapter**

**Disclaimer: no, I don't own ruroken- stop reminding me. And no, I don't own the song 'little moments' it's brad paisley's**

Kaoru woke up early the next morning. She let out a huge yawn and peeked outside to see that the sun wasn't up yet.

Neither Kaoru nor Kenshin had said much once they returned to the dojo. They just merely smiled at each other- a lot, said their goodnights, and returned to their own rooms for the night. Kaoru was so happy that she couldn't stay asleep. She kept waking up, and she eventually surrendered and decided to stay awake.

She was so joyful with the memories of the night before. She grinned, hugged he pillow, and danced around the room- only to pause. Kaoru sniffed the air. Something was strange. She sniffed again- she couldn't smell anything… that was it! Nothing! Kaoru couldn't smell breakfast. She hurriedly crept out into the hall and down to Kenshin's room. She peeked inside. Kenshin was sleeping!

"You know…" she thought, "I've never seen Kenshin sleeping before." Kaoru slipped through the doorway and tip toed in. The rurouni lay on top of a futon in front of Kaoru's feet. "He looks so peaceful… Oh? What's this? He's not covered by the blanket, he'll catch cold." Kaoru got a blanket from the corner and squatted down to pull the blanket over top of him. She paused to gaze at his sleeping face. She beamed gently and then retreated back to the hallway. She turned back down in the opposite direction, toward the kitchen.

Kenshin lay passed out in his room- he had a late night, though Kaoru didn't know that. The previous evening he had got back, closed his door, and spun around to lean against the door, releasing a sigh. He quickly found it impossible for slumber; he had too much on his mind. He spent most of the late night planning his next course of action. He ran to the corner of the room to remove a small bag. "Wait," he thought, "That's moving too fast. I'm not quite there yet." He put the small pouch back in its respected place.

He daydreamed off a bit about how to find the perfect romantic situation to kiss Kaoru. "No, I've got to tell her I love her first. I have to take this step by step… The first snow should come soon. I suppose I could wait till then. That should work out well."

The rurouni's mind continued to turn for quite some time. As soon as he was of temporarily satisfied with his plans, he relaxed his stressed mind and exhaustion hit him like a rock. He normally slept in a corner by the window, but he felt dizzy and collapsed onto the futon, going into one of the deepest sleeps he had had in a long time.

He woke up late- well, by Kenshin's standards that is. He blinked his eyes open twice, and then shut them quickly. "It's too bright de gozaru…. Wait a minute, it's light outside?" Kenshin opened his eyes again. It hurt them to be flooded with light and his vision was blurry. Amidst all his drowsy confusion, he noticed a strange blanket that he could have sworn was folded up on the floor the night before. "Did Kaoru?" He imagined her putting a blanket on him, a little disappointed that he wasn't awake for it. "Wait, I called her 'Kaoru' again… Wow, I really am hopelessly in love de gozaru.

Kenshin stretched and stood up. He folded the futon and walked toward the kitchen.

_Well I'll never forget the first time that I heard_

_That pretty mouth say that dirty word_

_And I can't even remember now what she backed my truck into_

_But she covered her mouth and her face got red _

_And she just looked so darn cute_

_That I couldn't even act like I was mad_

_Yeah I live for little moments like that_

Kenshin walked into the room to see a panic stricken tanuki. "Oh dear! I have no idea what I'm doing. I just wanted to make a nice meal for Kenshin..." The rurouni grinned in amusement. He found it funny that he thought she was so beautiful, even when she was running around and panicking. It just reminded him who she was and why he loved her so much.

_Well that's like just last year on my birthday_

_She lost all track of time and burnt the cake_

_And every smoke detector in the house was going off_

_And she was just about to cry until I took her in my arms _

_And I tried not to let her see me laugh_

_Yeah I live for little moments like that_

Kaoru spun around to find herself face to face with Kenshin. "Oh. Good morning Kenshin. I was just trying to make breakfast.

Kenshin sniffed the air. "Oro? Is something burning?"

"Ahh!" Kaoru ran over to a pot and took it off the fire. "I meant to ask Tae-san last night if she could teach me how to cook, but I forgot. Cooking shouldn't be this hard." Kaoru had been working so hard and everything was falling apart in front of her. She was about to have a mental breakdown. Tears welled up in her eyes.

_I know she's not perfect, but she tries so hard for me_

_And I thank God that she isn't, 'cause how boring would that be_

_It's the little imperfections, it's the sudden change in plans_

_When she misreads the directions and we're lost but holding hands_

_Yeah I live for little moments like that_

Kaoru always tried her best to smile as often as she could. She would try cooking, screw up, get frustrated, and then she'd try all over again. And that's what Kenshin loved about her. He found it so funny to watch her in moments like that. "Here, let me show you how to stir the soup and make sure you don't burn it. It will burn if you let it stick to the bottom of the pot, keep it moving." Kenshin showed her an example and she tried to imitate it. He looked over her shoulder. "That's very good de gozaru." He watched her spirits rise.

"It's not burning!" She grinned in success.

"Now add the seasoning, not too much though. More seasoning doesn't necessarily make it taste better de gozaru."

"Alright!"

_When she's layin' on my shoulder, on the sofa in the dark_

_About the time she falls asleep, so does my right arm_

_And I want so bad to move it, 'cause it's tinglin' and it's numb_

_But she looks so much like an angel, that I don't wanna wake her up_

_Yeah I live for little moments_

_When she steals my heart again and doesn't even know it_

_Yeah I live for little moments like that_

They both ate the breakfast. It actually wasn't half bad for her first try with instruction. Kenshin complimented her on a job well done. His heart felt warm when he saw Kaoru's face light up with the joy of her achievement.

After they were done, they both went to the outside hall to sit and watch the sunrise. Kenshin had brought a big blanket to lie across their laps and keep them warm. Kaoru leaned her head against Kenshin and she said, "The sunrise is so beautiful."

"Yes it is," Kenshin responded. Though, he wasn't looking at the sunrise. He was secretly referring to the tanuki, at whom he was looking down at. ""She yawned and her eyes drooped. "She must have not gotten much sleep either," he thought.

Before Kenshin knew it, Kaoru had fallen asleep, her head leaning on his shoulder. He sat there for a while, gazing at his beloved. However, after a while, his arm, which she had been leaning on, was starting to feel numb. He couldn't move it though. He had endured much worse pain than that, and he'd endure it, just so he could stare lovingly at his angel. "How could I ever express how much I love her?"

Kenshin almost fell asleep himself after a while, but he managed to stay awake. After about an hour and a half, Kaoru's eyes flickered open.

"Huh? What happened?"

"You just dozed off for a bit Kaoru de gozaru."

"Oh, well why didn't you wake me? I have to teach lessons this afternoon. I've got to get ready."

Kenshin merely smiled at her. Kaoru got up and stretched. She then walked back to her room. Kaoru opened the door halfway. "Wait a minute," she said to herself. "Is it just me or did he only say 'Kaoru.'" She pondered for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, it couldn't be. That'd be just too good to be true." She entered her room and closed the door behind her.

Kenshin got up and quickly returned to his own room. He ran to the corner from the night before. He took out the bag and dumped the contents in his hand. It was all the money that he had. It wasn't much, but he had been saving up. He counted the coins. "Darn. This one still doesn't have enough." Kenshin put the money back in the bag. "I wonder…" He grabbed a scarf and headed out the door.

Kenshin was at the gate when he ran into a rather devious looking little boy.

Yahiko had a rather large evil grin plastered on his face, as if to say, 'I've got some dirt on you.'

"Oro? Oh, good morning Yahiko, did you come for lessons?"

"You just dozed off for a bit," he muttered in an imitating voice. "Heh heh heh."

'Ping!' Something rang a bell in Kenshin's head. Why did that sound so familiar? Wait a minute, did Yahiko!

"I was on an errand with the Akabeko this morning, and I passed by the dojo. I hope I wasn't _interrupting_ anything. Wow, I've only been gone for a few weeks and you're already enjoying the _alone time_ with buso."

"ORO!" Busted!

Yahiko proceeded to wake past the red-in-the-face rurouni and into the dojo, chuckling all the way. Kenshin was tempted to go after him, but was afraid that would make things worse. So as not to loose anymore time, he hurried down the road. He passed Shinichi, the fifth officer from the police department, on the way. He was probably going to lessons at the dojo too. Kenshin let a huge sweatdrop on the back of his head appear when he heard the shout of "Himura-sensei."

Before long, the rurouni was at the Akabeko. He poked his head in the door and saw Tae-dono. "Hello Tae-dono."

"Oh, back so soon?"

"Oro, this one is interested in a job de gozaru."

**HA! Cliffie….. well, kinda, sad attempt at one anyways**

**I was thinking of using 'the world' but I like the way the 'little moments' thing worked out, I heart brad paisley**

**I know Kaoru never backed a truck into a tree before, but I thought the general idea of the song applied a lot to kenshin's feelings. The song explains it better than I ever could, so a made it into a song fic of some sorts**

**I'll work on chapter 5 while im gone, please! I want a lot of reviews when I come back in a week or so!**

**I hope you like!**


	5. Chapter 5: Minimum Wage

**I AM SO SORRY! I have been very busy with school lately, and before you know it, I haven't updated my fanfic in three months**

**A cookie for anyone who is still reading my story**

**KellenaDM- de gozaru is a term that kenshin uses as a sentence ender, like 'that you should' or 'that she is' so to speak**

**I was a bit disappointed with reviews for ch 4, I thought people would like the song fic. Am I the only Kenshin fan on the planet who likes country music? sob**

**Well, I enjoyed that chapter, so there**

**Diclaimer:watsuki owns kenshin**

**Anywho- on with chapter 5!**

Kenshin had been a rurouni for the past 10 years, and as you could imagine, this had some complications. A rurouni is a wandering hobo _without a job_. He was just thankful he had enough money to buy Kaoru dinner to show her he cared for her and to subconsciously show her that he could 'provide for a family' wink wink.

Now, in the Meiji Era, a lot of western customs had been introduced and had gained popularity. One of them was the use of an engagement ring. In his many years wandering the country, Kenshin had naturally seen the here and there and knew what they were used for. It had been a thought in his head for a while now to buy one for Kaoru, but he was much too poor. It had eventually occurred to him though, that he could get a part-time job, like Yahiko. He didn't like the idea at first, but then again, Kaoru was worth it.

Now, the only place where Kenshin imagined that he could get a job was the Akabeko. And it was almost scary, considering that Tae almost looked as if she was _expecting_ Kenshin when he poked his head through the door.

"Oh, a job! What ever could that be for? Saving up for something? Is it a surprise for Kaoru-chan?" As hard as she tried to sound surprised, Kenshin could tell that she had been planning her reaction in advance.

A sweat drop rolled down the back of his head and his face turned a bright red with embarrassment. "How does she know that this one is sneaking behind Koru's back? Tae-dono is too nosy de gozaru," he thought frantically.

Indeed, the kansai girl did love to play the matchmaker for Kaoru and Kenshin. Her scheming mind had in fact already come up with a plan. "Perhaps you could only come while Kaoru-chan is busy with lessons. You could take Yahiko's job while he's not here. He'll leave for lessons and you will arrive. How does that sound?"

The plan was just what the rurouni had been hoping for, and he soon went back to his very friendly mood. "That sounds excellent de gozaru. Can this one begin today?"

"Sure! You can start in the back. We need some firewood chopped."

Kenshin walked to the back of the Akabeko. He tied back his sleeves and drew his sakabato.

"Wait a minute Ken-san. You need an apron."

"Oro? This one thought aprons were only mandatory at the Shirobeko. Besides, this one is just going to chop fire wood. Does this one really have to-"

"Yes," she stated forcefully.

Dang, she was pushy. Kenshin slipped on the apron, complete with lace… Why did there have to be lace. Look at the bright side; at least it wasn't hot pink. Kenshin may have not had much fashion sense, but pink frilly lace might have permanently damaged his male ego. Kenshin gave a sigh. "Think positive," he thought, "this is all for Kaoru. Well this one knows how to chop fire wood well enough."

It took a while to chop and stack all of the wood for the ovens, and by the time Kenshin was done, it was early evening. He needed to get back to the dojo quickly if his absence were to remain unnoticed. He didn't want to be found out by Kaoru because a proposal was supposed to be a surprise. That and she was a vengeful tanuki who often jumped to the wrong conclusion, resulting in an unconscious rurouni with a bump on the head.

He speedily shuffled out the door, almost forgetting to take off the horrendously feminine apron on the way. Tae shouted after him. "Thanks for the help Kenshin-san. I'll save up all your money and pay you all at once. And don't worry, I won't tell Kaoru-chan."

"Domo Tae-dono. This one will come back tomorrow."

The sun was starting to set as Kenshin snuck back in the gate of the dojo and entered silently inside. He heard a distant murmur, so he guessed that class was still in session. He caught himself about to saw 'tadaimai,' out of habit, but quickly stopped himself. 'Phew.' He made it back without being busted.

Kenshin found it funny that he had a secret job because it strangely reminded him of the time everyone stalked Yahiko to find out that he was saving for a sakabato. Speaking of which, I wonder where all that money went, he never bought a sword. A gift for Tsubame perhaps?

Over the next month, things went rather smoothly in the sneaking out scheme. Kneshin went to Asakusa as often as he could. Kaoru had noticed that she never saw him during lessons, but guessed that he was doing chores or shopping, and didn't say much of it. She had learned to trust Kenshin, and knew that he would never even consider wandering again.

It was well into the beginning of winter now, and a thin layer of snow overlay the ground. Kenshin left early in the morning while Kaoru was still sleeping. He arrived at the Akabeko during the morning rush, but before he even got inside, he spotted Tsubame standing outside the front door.

"Ah, excuse me, Kenshin-san;" she spoke softly, "Tae-san wanted me to give you this." Kenshin squatted down and she placed a small box in his open hands. "She says it's your payment for all of your work."

Kenshin opened the small box to reveal a small ring. Typical Tae. She had taken the liberty of buying it for him. Though, he was grateful, because it more perfect than he could have ever imagined.

"Um, Kenshin-san," she murmured again, "I hope you two will be happy." She nodded her head to the side with an innocent grin.

"Arigato Tsubame-dono."

Kenshin left into the crowded streets and Tsubame went inside to speak with Tae. "Just think Tsubame, they're finally getting married. It's about time, huh?"

"Yeah, it is."

**Well? Do ya'll like it?**

**Please, PLEASE review!**

**I will work on the end of the story over Christmas break, so please stay tuned**


	6. Chapter 6: As the Snow Fell

**First things first- Merry Christmas everybody! That's right, I didn't say happy holidays, I said Merry Christmas. 'Tis the celebration of the birth of Christ.**

**And I hope everyone has a jolly good time eating junk food, opening gifts… and well, reading my fanfic.**

**I think I'm going to write another chapter or two after this (dodges objects thrown at me) but I think they will just be epilogues. This is the chapter with all the fluff. I worked hard on it so please- **

**Enjoy**

Throughout the day, a thin layer had covered the ground. Kaoru had changed into her sleeping wear and was about to go to sleep when she noticed the outside scenery. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders to keep warm and she traveled outside to sit and watch the snow fall. The idea suddenly occurred to her that she could sit on the roof, so being careful of the ice, she climbed up. She wasn't exactly sure why, but sitting up there at night was very enjoyable. Gazing up at the stars and the moon in the cloudless sky was breathtaking, and the falling snow made it all the more beautiful. And most of all, somehow it all reminded her of Kenshin.

She leaned her head back to look up, he she smiled as snowflakes landed on her face and tickled her nose. Kaoru's surroundings were absolutely silent, and she reflected upon her thoughts. She felt a sudden heaviness of heart due to oncoming emotions. Kenshin would never depart from her, and she knew that and was joyful. But she wanted something more. She was happy and supporting him in everything he did, but was not content with just that. It was apparent to everyone that Kaoru loved Kenshin, except to Kenshin himself. If only he knew of her true emotions.

Kaoru was snapped out of the deepness of her thoughts by the soft, but quite noticeable, crunching of snow. She perked her head up, or down so to speak, in order to see what had caused the disturbance below. She stared breathlessly for a moment, her blushing cheeks turning a bright red to match her frostbitten nose. "Oh," she stuttered, "Kenshin, I was Just coming down, I uh-"

She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but He seemed different somehow. Kenshin didn't appear goofy and joyful, he almost seemed nervous to her, though she couldn't imagine why. Kaoru slowly started to descend from the roof, but by being engrossed in staring at her rurouni, wasn't watching where she placed her feet, and she slipped on an icy roof tile. Naturally, she fell from the sky, and as expected, Kenshin leapt to catch his beloved. However, he tripped as well, and fell to the ground, though he still made sure to break Kaoru's fall with his own body.

Kenshin had been pondering oh how to pop the question all day. He prepared a speech and everything. When he thought he was ready, he went searching for Kaoru and eventually found her outside on the roof. He was happy to see her, but was at a loss for ideas. How was he supposed to propose on one knee… on the roof… without losing his balance?

Luckily, if you could call it that, Kaoru slid off the roof, which solved the balancing problem, yet here he was with Kaoru flying at him. Kenshin's heart skipped a beat in fear and he stumbled in an attempt to catch her. He didn't mind the pain in being a cushion for her fall, but here they were, nose to nose, just staring at one another. Both gazed into the other's eyes, at a loss for words. Kenshin wanted desperately to do something, but his mind had gone blank.

"Ahh, I'm so sorry!" Kaoru was the first to speak. "Are you alright?! I can't believe I slipped. I'm so sorry!" She quickly got up from her spot laying on top of Kenshin and turned around, and in her embarrassment, would have scampered inside if a hand had not snatched her wrist.

She halted and pivoted around to see Kenshin still in his place, sitting on the ground. He slowly stood up and raised his downcast eyes to encounter hers. His gentle, but firm grip remained on her wrist. "Since the first we met, this one has always treated you as if you sat upon a pedestal. This one… I always thought that you were too good for me. Because I thought I wasn't good enough for you, that you were a perfection that I was not worthy of, I pushed you away, not allowing myself to get too close. I apologize for that. I was wrong to do so, because now, I realize that building a wall between us was not fair to you, and it is the opposite of what I truly wanted."

Kenshin suddenly dropped down on one kneeand lowered his eyes, and the paralyzed woman before him gasped as she saw him pull out a small box. He continued his speech, "I always want to be close to you. Your smile warms my heart. Kaoru-dono, no, Kaoru, I… I love you. Will you marry me?"

He held his breath, not knowing what to anticipate. Kenshin's heart sank for a brief moment when he suddenly heard the sound of crying. He was afraid to look up at Kaoru.

"Kenshin," Kaoru stammered between sobs, "Do you so soon forget what I said to you once? I want to stay with you- forever. Yes! Yes! I'll marry you!" Her legs fell out from underneath her and she slid down on top of her knees. Kaoru slowly outreached her hand and gently raised the head of the kneeling rurouni.

Both overwhelmed with mixed emotions of absolute bliss and relief: Kenshin realizing that her tears were tears of joy and Kaoru happy that he returned her love. And unable to hold back any longer, Kenshin embraced Kaoru in his arms. With eyes closed, they kissed as a gust of wind blew flurries about them.

After that, neither said a word. Kenshin slipped the ring on his love's finger and carried her inside to her bedroom. He lay Kaoru down on her futon and he leaned over to kiss her forehead. Then he pulled the covers over her to keep her warm and left the room. As he was sliding the door shut, he heard Kaoru mumble. "I love you Kenshin."

"I love you too, Kaoru."

With that, he departed to return to his own room. Kaoru raised her left hand above her sleepy head. The light from a candle in the corner of the room reflected off the diamond. Kaoru watched the light of the diamond dance as she slipped into the most blissful of slumbers.

**Yay, cute chapter!**

**You like eh? poke poke**

**This was by far my favorite chapter to write**

**It took me a while to come up with Kenshin's speech**

**I think I accurately expressed his emotions, I hope ya'll think so too**

**I have lots more homework to do know, so I'll write the epilogues ASAP**

**Merry Christmas everyone, and as always please please! REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7: Cherry Blossoms

**Please forgive me; I have been terribly busy lately. My school work has been never ending. **

**The little free time I have had has been spent playing Twilight Princess (so much fun on the Wii) and sewing my cosplay for Animezement this year.**

**But I have finally gotten a chance to do some writing again.**

**Anyways, I got a comment from someone saying that Kenshin could never afford an engagement ring.**

**Well, that's true; I did say the word 'diamond'**

**But if you people are that picky, just pretend that it's some other, less expensive stone. I just wrote it because of what it meant, not being 'exactly' historically correct.**

**Well… now that I have said that, I have the next chapter in _Toward a New Era._ **

**It starts at the end of the cherry blossom picnic at the very end of the manga**

A few years had passed since that snowy evening. Kenshin's life had never been the same since then. He and Kaoru had a very short engagement, for she was very anxious. They were married in the following spring. Before too long, little Kenji came along as well. Kenshin could remember his legs turning to jelly when he first held his son.

He turned his head now to see the little toddler in his mother's arms. Kaoru was sitting beside him on the picnic blanket; talking with Megumi… something about her time of the month… he really didn't care to find out more than that. Kenshin decided to find something else that would catch his attention.

He glanced toward the sky as the wind picked up and blew through his shorter hair. His gaze then turned back to those who sat around him. Misao sat across from him. She had done quite a bit of growing up since he had seen her last. She still didn't wear what would be considered normal for a girl, but she was wearing a lot of pink. Perhaps she was trying to look more feminine… for a certain okashira, complete with a tuxedo, who leaned against a tree beside her. Kenshin couldn't help but notice that Misao was staring at Aoshi for most of the meal.

Kenshin then focused on Yahiko. He noticed that the 16 year old had brought the sakabato with him. The teenager made a couple rude comments about Kaoru, though she didn't respond as violently as she used to. Kaoru seemed to have a calmer and wise sense to her since she became a wife and a mother. Kaoru simply ignored Yahiko, which made him a bit irritated, though he quickly turned from anger to embarrassment when he heard a giggle from his girlfriend. Kenshin wondered if those two would ever get married, but then again, the rurouni didn't like to be nosy.

The wind picked up a bit, and would have blown Sano's letter away from Kenshin's lap had he not snatched it. Although he had just read the letter aloud to everyone moments before, he examined it a second time. He kind of missed his old buddy. Well, if Sanosuke had already visited America and China, and he was on his way to Mongolia, he shouldn't be gone for that much longer. Kenshin just laughed at the idea of him coming home to find that Tae still had his tab for him to pay.

"Well, since everyone is here, I have an announcement to make." Kenshin was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of his wife's voice. He listened attentively as she continued. "I know no one can tell yet, but well…. I…"

"Out with it!" cried Yahiko.

Kaoru shot her former student a death glare, but soon regained her composure. Kenshin could tell she seemed nervous about whatever it was she was about to say. He was slightly worried all of a sudden, and he seemed to almost lean toward her, anticipating her words.

And then she said it. Bluntly: as Kaoru always put things when she was uneasy. "I'm pregnant!"

Silence…

More silence.

Kenshin felt his eyes roll in the back of his head as everything went dark and he tipped over.

"Ahh! Kenshin!" Kaoru quickly jumped up, as she was not so pregnant that she couldn't still be agile. She rushed over to her husband's side, Kenji waddling along behind her. When she took a closer look though, Kenshin was merely dizzy eyed and was in a fit of mumbling 'oro.'

"Perhaps you should have given him a heads up," suggested Megumi. Kaoru sank back on her knees and gave a sigh of relief. He had scared her for a second.

Misao giggled rather loudly. "I had forgotten the last time I heard him say 'oro.' Everyone else seemed to agree with her, though, the only response was a bunch of nods.

No one spoke for a minute, until Tsubame piped up. "Congratulations Kaoru-san." Megumi and Misao chimed in as well. Aoshi merely nodded his head in accord.

"Well," said Kaoru, looking down at her son, "we best get Daddy home now." She picked Kenji up and then raised her head up to stare into the sky. Cherry blossoms were falling everywhere. Her eyes tracked one of the petals as it fell. It swayed back and forth, and eventually landed on her beloved Kenshin's face. Kaoru smiled softly. He was so peaceful when he slept. And she felt as though she could stand there forever, gazing at her beloved.

**I'm not quite done yet, I'm going to write an epilogue, but what does everyone think? I would really like to know your opinion. Please Review!**

**Big fuzzies, Kenshin's gonna be a daddy… again! **


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